Brazil plans to auction 22 port terminals by 2025, targeting R$8.7 billion in investments

Brazil’s Lula administration is preparing a round of port concessions, aiming to hold the largest number of auctions in the country’s history. According to the sources consulted, the auction plan is ready, and the Ministry of Ports and Airports intends to launch it in November.

In total, 35 port terminals across the country are slated for concession, representing R$11.085 billion in investments on new terminals, expansions, and improvements in each contract signed with the private sector (see full list below).

The government plans to auction 22 terminals by the end of 2025, with three expected to go up for bidding this year. These include the terminals at the ports of Santana, Maceió, and Itaguaí. The latter is the largest project in the portfolio, alongside the new container terminal at Santos, the STS10.

In Itaguaí, the government will auction the construction of a greenfield terminal on a 249,000 square-meter plot for receiving iron ore. The investment forecast for this terminal alone is R$3.58 billion, with a 35-year concession contract. The auction is scheduled for December.

As for the STS10 terminal in Santos, currently in the public hearing phase, the timeline projects the submission of the bid notice to the Federal Audit Court (TCU) later this year, with the auction taking place in the first half of 2024. The STS10 terminal, dedicated to container handling, foresees over R$3.507 billion in investments.

The new terminal in São Paulo, which will cover an area of 601,000 square meters, aims to alleviate the port’s container space shortage. The port is currently operating at 90% of its installed capacity.

In Brazil’s North region, the Port of Itaqui in Maranhão awaits the third-largest investment, estimated at R$1.567 billion, with a capacity to handle 12 million tonnes of grain annually. Meanwhile, in Vila do Conde, a port located on the coast of Pará, R$1.131 billion is earmarked for expanding and modernizing the terminal, which will handle mineral cargoes such as alumina, bauxite, coal, coke, pitch, and fluoride.

The auctions will also include concessions for areas in key ports across the country, including Rio de Janeiro, Paranaguá (PR), Fortaleza, Recife, Itaqui (MA), Salvador, and Porto Alegre.

Speaking to the press, the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, stated that the number of auctions may increase, reaching a total of 58 concessions by the end of 2026, as other projects currently under study are included.

“We will still add more auctions to this list, with the expectation of reaching approximately R$20 billion in sector investments,” he said. “Between 2013 and 2022, there were 43 port terminal auctions in the country. From 2023 to 2026, we will conduct the largest volume of port terminal auctions in Brazil’s history. We will surpass what was done in a decade in just four years.”

PORT AUCTIONS

Below is the list of terminals, the expected auction dates, and projected investment amounts (in R$ million):

2024
Santana/AP – MCP03 – 88.9
Maceió/AL – MAC16 – 6.2
Itaguaí/RJ – ITG02 – 3,580.9

1st Quarter 2025
Vila do Conde/PA – VDC29 – 716
Santana/AP – MCP01 – 84.6
Rio de Janeiro/RJ – RDJ10 – 32.6
Rio de Janeiro/RJ – RDJ11 – 5.9
Paranaguá/PR – PAR14 – 499
Paranaguá/PR – PAR15 – 293.2

2nd Quarter 2025
Fortaleza/CE – MUC04 – 360.7
Santos/SP – STS10 – 3,507.5
Santos/SP – STS33 – 491.5
Paranaguá/PR – PAR25 – 564.1

3rd Quarter 2025
Porto Alegre/RS – POA26 – 21.1
Rio de Janeiro/RJ – RDJ07 – 101.7
Recife/PE – REC11 – 4.6

4th Quarter 2025
São Sebastião/SP – SSB01 – 656.1
Paranaguá/PR – NAT01 – 23.4
Maceió/AL – TMP – 2
Recife/PE – TMP – 2.3
Itaqui/MA – IQI16 – 63.9
Vila do Conde/PA – VDC10 – 1,131.4

1st Quarter 2026
Suape/PE – SUA01 – 4
São Francisco do Sul/SC – SFS201 – 37.4
Itaqui/MA – IQI15 – 1,567.2
Rio de Janeiro/RJ – RDJ06A – 67.8
Recife/PE – REC13 – 5.7

2nd Quarter 2026
Imbituba/SC – IMB06 – 92.7
Imbituba/SC – IMB11 – 181.7
Salvador/BA – SSD04 – 39.9

3rd Quarter 2026
Fortaleza/CE – MUC03 – 92.6
Rio Grande/RS – RIG25 – 13.1
Rio Grande/RS – RIG40 – 53.3
Itaguaí/RJ – ITG03 – 186.6

4th Quarter 2026
Vila do Conde/PA – VDC04 – 13

Source: Folha de S. Paulo

Original news article avaiable at: https://www.msn.com/pt-br/noticias/brasil/governo-quer-leiloar-22-terminais-portu%C3%A1rios-at%C3%A9-o-fim-de-2025-com-r-8-7-bi-de-investimentos/ar-AA1sEnIo?cvid=45c271cc05394135a37b747eb8e3bdb7&ei=46

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